Many of us get drawn into the mentality of “If I stay up all night, I’ll have an extra six hours! I’ll get so much done and ace both those tests tomorrow.” Sure, some all-nighters are productive, but are they really worth it? Think about how much work you’d get done if you weren’t downing Hill of Beans coffee every other page of notes. Your body is devoting so much effort just to keep yourself awake that your attempt to learn anything is just that much more difficult.

As the clock ticks on, your memory checks out. While sleeping, your brain has time for repairs and to refresh itself. Kind of like how you click refresh on your laptop all day ( … all day when you could have been studying) when it just can’t be true that Netflix is down. Without giving your brain that critical time, your attention span gets smaller, and before you know it you’re study habits look something like this: a chemistry question, then find a different spot in the library (you know, maybe a change in scenery will help), a WebAssign problem, then looking up to watch all the students playing video games for a good 10 minutes in the Learning Commons before realizing that’s totally not going to help you with the pre-lab you have to write next. It’s hard enough not to get distracted these days with social media and friends alone. You don’t need to make that list of “things more fun than homework” any longer than it already is.

I have never pulled an all-nighter because I always seem to cave in about 3:30 a.m., but last year I had my fair share of late nights. After readjusting my schedule and prioritizing, I’ve gone to sleep, for the most part, at a decent time all semester. My ability to focus in class and on exams increased tremendously. It feels good not to be so tired all the time.

A research study at St. Lawrence University showed that students who never pulled an all-nighter have an average GPA of 3.1, whereas students who’ve used the technique more than once have an average GPA of only 2.9. Coincidence? I doubt it. Sleep actually improves your ability to remember information. Not only is it easier to remember the material, but also tests are stressful and overwhelming as it is. Adding droopy eyelids that can’t keep themselves open and a decline in reasoning skills and critical thinking strategies most certainly won’t help you earn the A’s you stayed up all night for.

Meanwhile, most students who stay up all night choose to sleep in all the next day. Like … could you not have just used those day light hours to study instead? Now your sleep schedule is messed up (well, is any college student’s sleep schedule actually normal?) and chances are, since you slept all day, you’ll feel prepared to stay up all night again. We’re the Wolfpack, not the Owls. Don’t be nocturnal.

Also, unless you’re already studying in your room, it can be a little dangerous to leave the library at 4 or 5 a.m. when there aren’t other people around. Studying is important, but so is safety. Being out and about on campus at unreasonable hours can put you in a risky situation that could have easily been avoided by better managing your time.

Throwback to Syllabus Week when all the professors told us exactly what days those exams would be and when those long papers would be due. Somehow by thinking “Oh, well that’s not for a while” leads us to believe that “a while” will never get here. Until it’s the night before, of course.

Take this time, Wolfpack, during the next few weeks to plan out a study schedule for finals that factors in sleep. If you acknowledge everything you have to do before the fact, as reluctant as you may be to realize just how long your to-do list really is, then you’ll have a better idea of when you can get it all finished.

It’s always best to strive for the A, but one of the most beneficial things you can do to get there is to catch some Z’s along the way. A little simple planning can earn you more hours dreaming. With time slots set for homework in advance, you’ll have a stronger memory and attention span to increase productivity. While C’s may get degrees, Z’s definitely help get degrees too.